>|I am in need of a cgi script that will write data in a form to a file.
>|
>|I've got lots for emailing the data, but I'm assuming since this will be
>|secure data (credit card info) I can't email it.
>|
>|Or, does SSL encrypt the data so it can be emailed?
>|
>
>Unfortunately, I don't really know the answer. I'm hoping someone out there
>can enlighten us both.
the short answer is: "no".
SSL is a transport-level encryption scheme, designed to keep information
safe as it travels between the user's computer and your server. once it
hits the server, though, it goes away. the httpd translates the encrypted
data which comes in through the network cable back into cleartext before
handing it off to any kind of script.
your best option would be to find a programmer who knows how to work with
something like PGP, and have them write a script that takes the
freshly-decoded text from the httpd and recodes it with the customer's key.
there are PGP libraries both for C and for perl, so you can generate the
encrypted version in memory, without ever having to write the data to a
file.
with that kind of setup, your exposure to risk is pretty low. the
cleartext only exists in memory for a fraction of a second, and is never
reduced to a human-readable form while it's in your hands. the only
person who can get back to the cleartext is the person who owns the
appropriate key, aka: your client. for all intents and purposes, you've
locked yourself out of the room while the data is being handled. if
there's any kind of compromise, it's probably not your fault.
while we're in the neighborhood, let me express my appreciation for the
fact that you want to treat sensitive data responsibly.. i have this
horrible feeling that the voice of a salesman who once asked, "can't you
just make it *look* like a secure server?" will ring in my ears forever.
mike stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 'net geek..
been there, done that, have network, will travel.
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